The Story of Stuff: The Impact of Overconsumption on the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health—and How We Can Make It BetterA classic exposé in company with An Inconvenient Truth and Silent Spring, The Story of Stuff expands on the celebrated documentary exploring the threat of overconsumption on the environment, economy, and our health. Leonard examines the “stuff” we use everyday, offering a galvanizing critique and steps for a changed planet. The Story of Stuff was received with widespread enthusiasm in hardcover, by everyone from Stephen Colbert to Tavis Smiley to George Stephanopolous on Good Morning America, as well as far-reaching print and blog coverage. Uncovering and communicating a critically important idea—that there is an intentional system behind our patterns of consumption and disposal—Annie Leonard transforms how we think about our lives and our relationship to the planet. From sneaking into factories and dumps around the world to visiting textile workers in Haiti and children mining coltan for cell phones in the Congo, Leonard, named one of Time magazine’s 100 environmental heroes of 2009, highlights each step of the materials economy and its actual effect on the earth and the people who live near sites like these. With curiosity, compassion, and humor, Leonard shares concrete steps for taking action at the individual and political level that will bring about sustainability, community health, and economic justice. Embraced by teachers, parents, churches, community centers, activists, and everyday readers, The Story of Stuff will be a long-lived classic. |
Contents
Extraction 1 Chapter 2 Production 44 Chapter 3 Distribution 106 Chapter 4 Consumption 144 Chapter 5 Disposal 182 Epilogue Writing the New Sto... | 237 |
Examples of Promising Policies | 253 |
Other editions - View all
The Story of Stuff: The Impact of Overconsumption on the Planet, Our ... Annie Leonard Limited preview - 2010 |
The Story of Stuff: The Impact of Overconsumption on the Planet, Our ... Annie Leonard No preview available - 2011 |
The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession with Stuff is Trashing the Planet, Our ... Annie Leonard,Ariane Conrad No preview available - 2010 |
Common terms and phrases
activists aluminum American big-box big-box stores bottles cancer carbon clean climate coltan communities companies composting consumer consumption containers corporations costs cotton countries created developing dioxin disposal dump e-waste earth ecological economic electronics emissions energy environment extraction factories flame retardants footprint forests fuel garbage global green chemists Greenpeace Haiti Haitians Happy Planet Index hazardous human Ibid impacts incinerators industry ingredients Institute kids landfill less levels live manufacturers materials means mercury metals million mining municipal O’Rourke Ogoni organic packaging paper Paul Hawken percent pesticides planet plastic pollution problem recycling reduce retail social Story of Stuff supply chain sustainable T-shirt there’s things tion today’s tons toxic chemicals toxins trade trash U.S. Environmental Protection United Wal-Mart water footprint what’s workers World Bank Worldwatch Institute Zero Waste